The City Council, during last Monday’s regular session, approved on first reading proposed ordinance granting a one-time gratuity pay to job order and contract of service workers of the local government whose services were engaged last year.
In the proposed ordinance, local legislators stated that the local government will adopt the grant of a gratuity pay to job order and contract of service workers whose services were engaged last year pursuant to Administrative Order (AO) No. 38 issued on December 28, 2020 by President Rodrigo Duterte through Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea.
The council pointed out that the grant of the gratuity pay shall be to all workers whose services were engaged by the local government through job order and contract of services who have rendered a total or an aggregate of at least 4 months of actual satisfactory performance of services as stipulated in their respective contracts as of December 15, 2020 and whose contracts are still effective as of the same date may be granted a one-time gratuity pay not exceeding P3,000 each and those who have rendered less than 4 months of actual satisfactory performance of service as stipulated in their contracts may also be granted the one-time gratuity pay on a pro-rata basis, 3 months or more but less than 4 months not succeeding P2,000, 2 months or more but less than 3 months not exceeding P1,500 and less than 2 months not exceeding P1,000.
The council added that funds for the payment of the prescribed gratuity pay will be provided for in an obligation request in the amount of P950,000 under the City Mayor’s Office.
According to the ordinance, the one-time gratuity pay as earlier provided shall be paid to the covered workers immediately upon approval of the same.
On December 28, 2020, President Duterte, through Executive Secretary Medialdea, issued AO No. 38 authorizing the grant of gratuity pay for fiscal year 2020 to contract of service and job order workers in the bureaucracy.
Further, Section 5 of the aforesaid presidential issuance encouraged local government units to adopt in their respective offices the grant of the gratuity pay to workers whose services are engaged through job order and contract of service, appropriate available funding sources from their respective funds.
The council stipulated that the granting of the well-deserved gratuity pay to job order and contact of service workers is a way of recognizing the hard work and commitment being rendered by the said workers in the delivery of programs and services to the people in the different avenues.
The council asserted that the job order and contract of service workers do not enjoy benefits accorded to permanent government personnel because they do not have employee-employer relationship although they render essential services as stipulated in their respective contracts, thus, the grant of the gratuity pay will definitely serve as an inspiration and motivation for them to continue rendering their deducted service for the benefit of the greater welfare of the majority of their clients.
The aforesaid gratuity pay for the workers in the city were released to the concerned employees recently following the approval of the ordinance.
By Dexter A. See
Photo by Armando M. Bolislis